ceraunoscope
English edit
Etymology edit
Ancient Greek κεραυνοσκοπεῖον (keraunoskopeîon), from κεραυνοσκοπία (keraunoskopía, “divination from thunder and lightning”) from κεραυνός (keraunós, “thunderbolt”) + σκοπέω (skopéō, “look at, consider”). By surface analysis, cerauno- + -scope.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
ceraunoscope (plural ceraunoscopes)
- (historical) An instrument or apparatus employed in the ancient Greek mysteries to imitate thunder and lightning.
- 1827, Thomas Moore, The Epicurean, page 185:
- The machine with which these effects were produced on the stage was called a ceraunoscope.
- 1841 December, J.S. Ancona, The Churchman, a Magazine in Support of the Church of England, page 805:
- The ceraunoscope is mentioned by many authors as capable of producing the most startling effects.
- 1873, Henry Sneyd, Cyllene; Or, The Fall of Paganism, volume II, page 298:
- By means of images reflected in concave mirrors, the ceraunoscope (by which thunder was produced), and the secrets of chemistry and mechanics with which they were acquainted, the priests were enabled to maintain an unbounded influence over their devotees.
- 2002, Andrew Glassner, Andrew Glassner's Other Notebook: Further Recreations in Computer Graphics, page 81:
- Since I have not been able to discover the mechanics of the original, presumably mechanical ceraunoscope, I don't know how the earliest re-creators of lightning and thunder approached their task.